Formula 1 returns this week and that means new cars will hit the track for the first time as a group during pre-season testing this weekend, but things have changed slightly this year as a result of the pandemic.
The test will now take place in Bahrain, at the Bahrain International Circuit, moving from its traditional home at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. This was done to ensure easier movement of freight as the first race also takes place in Bahrain a fortnight later, following the postponement of the traditional curtain raiser in Australia.
This year’s testing will consist of just one test covering three days (Friday to Sunday) and they will run from 10:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 19:00 local time, with an hour’s break for lunch.
[GMT: 07:00 to 11:00 and 12:00 to 16:00 / EST: 02:00 to 06:00 and 07:00 to 11:00]
Testing would normally begin at 08:00 and run through to 17:00, but the decision has been taken to allow for some night time running under the lights, with sunset falling at around 17:45.
With such little running – a decision linked to stable regulations and the move to continue using the same cars as last year, albeit with some minor modifications – teams will be keen to make the most of the track action.
As per previous years teams are only permitted to field one car on each day.
It’s likely that full-time drivers will get the bulk of the track time, with only Williams so far confirming that it will run a test driver on one of its days; Roy Nissany will take part in the opening day’s running for the team, before Nicholas Latifi and George Russell take over for Saturday and Sunday.
Some teams have opted to split running on more than one day, with drivers swapping after the lunch break. So far only a handful of teams have confirmed their plans.
2021 F1 Testing Driver Line-Up
| Team | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes | V. Bottas (AM) L. Hamilton (PM) | L. Hamilton (AM) V. Bottas (PM) | V. Bottas (AM) L. Hamilton (PM) |
| Red Bull | M. Verstappen | S. Perez | S. Perez (AM) M. Verstappen (PM) |
| McLaren | D. Ricciardo (AM) L. Norris (PM) | D. Ricciardo (AM) L. Norris (PM) | L. Norris (AM) D. Ricciardo (PM) |
| Aston Martin | S. Vettel (AM) L. Stroll (PM) | S. Vettel (AM) L. Stroll (PM) | L. Stroll (AM) S. Vettel (PM) |
| Alpine | E. Ocon | F. Alonso | E. Ocon (AM) F. Alonso (PM) |
| Ferrari | C. Leclerc (AM) C. Sainz (PM) | TBC | TBC |
| AlphaTauri | P. Gasly (AM) Y. Tsunoda (PM) | Y. Tsunoda (AM) P. Gasly (PM) | P. Gasly (AM) Y. Tsunoda (PM) |
| Alfa Romeo | K. Raikkonen (AM) A. Giovinazzi (PM) | A. Giovinazzi | K. Raikkonen |
| Haas | M. Schumacher (AM) N. Mazepin (PM) | N. Mazepin (AM) M. Schumacher (PM) | M. Schumacher (AM) N. Mazepin (PM) |
| Williams | R. Nissany | N. Latifi | G. Russell |
Only three teams enter the season with the same driver line-up (Mercedes, Alfa Romeo and Williams), therefore driver acclimatisation will be an important part of the test, however nearly every team has already completed a ‘filming day’, which allows them to run up to 100km in a private test.
MotorsportWeek.com is in Bahrain to cover the test live and we’ll be bringing you live updates and timing from all three days.
